The College of Nursing will build upon its tradition of developing caring and scholarly leaders who positively impact contemporary and future health care.

Values:

Altruism: An unselfish concern for the welfare of others-We strive to demonstrate an unselfish interest in others through caring, compassion, sensitivity and an openness to engage in helping relationships.

Autonomy: The right to self-determination-
We strive to provide information and explore options that require individuals to look deep within themselves to find the answers to manage their problems effectively.

Human Dignity: The respectful awareness of the self-worth of each individual-We strive to interact with others in a respectful, efficient, courteous, and prompt manner with the assurance of complete confidentiality.

Integrity:Acting in accordance with an appropriate code of ethics and accepted standard of practice-We strive to build trust by being approachable, honest, and accountable for our words and actions.

Social Justice: Upholding moral, legal and humanistic principles-Westrive to create relationships, structures, and resources for the equality of optimal access to needed information and services along with meaningful participation in decision-making.

Philosophy:

The College of Nursing is an integral part of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, deriving its purpose from the mission and goals of the University. Faculty and staff of the College of Nursing support the mission of the University by striving toward excellence in teaching, fostering and participating in research and scholarly activities, providing service to the community, and helping shape the health care delivery system by engaging people and ideas for the common good. The vision of the College of Nursing is to build upon the tradition of developing caring and scholarly leaders who positively impact contemporary and future health care. The College of Nursing faculty and staff believe:

Each person has inherent worth and uniqueness, the capacity to change, and the autonomy to make decisions at every stage of life. The person is part of a larger group (family, community or society), is unique, and has the right to be involved in decisions. Learning, health behaviors, and the health status of persons and populations are influenced by interconnections with others, perceptions of life experiences, adaptations during life processes, and effects of the environment. Each person has the right to information so that knowledgeable choices about health can be made. Therefore, an important function of professional nurses is to provide health care information and culturally competent care in order to promote, maintain, or restore health or assist with a peaceful death. The nurse uses the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) professional values of altruism, autonomy, human dignity, integrity and social justice to provide safe, humanistic health care to all persons.

Health is a dynamic and holistic process, whereby individuals find meaning in wellness, illness, disease, and dying. Individuals strive for harmony, balance, energy, and well-being while adapting to the ever-changing environment. Health is a function of the client, the culture, the health care system, and the providers of care. Health is a holistic composite of physical, psychological, social and spiritual aspects. A basic concept of health concerns an expression of the life process of wholeness.

Environment refers to dynamic internal and external factors within which clients develop, interact, and maintain their identities. The environment is multidimensional and has physical, biological, ecological, technical, psychological, spiritual, social and cultural patterns. The health care system is also an integral part of the environment and influences the health status and health-seeking behaviors of persons, groups, and communities. Health care services, resources, legislation, research data, information technology, ethical issues and diverse values influence the environment. Therefore, nurses interact with all elements of the environment to assist individuals and groups to optimize their health status.

Nursing is a discipline and a profession. As a discipline, nursing supports the belief that there is a dynamic interrelationship between the person, health, and the environment. As a profession, nursing is committed to assisting persons and communities to perform activities that contribute to and potentiate health. Nurses provide care to enhance compassionate, sensitive, and appropriate means to enable persons and communities to gain independence and participate in planning health care. Nurses use the nursing process that reflects professional values, core competencies and core knowledge.

Education is a reciprocal process between teachers and students to acquire knowledge, skills, and self-awareness. Learning occurs in a variety of ways, at different rates, at different times, and in different settings. Education and divergent life experiences provide persons with the knowledge necessary to achieve their potential. Nursing faculty provide a learning environment which acknowledges individual needs, learning styles, abilities, and talents. The learning environment promotes the self-esteem and confidence necessary for transition to professional nursing roles. Students are encouraged to engage in critical thinking, consider alternate viewpoints, appreciate the diversity of a multicultural, dynamic society, and demonstrate professional commitment.

Nursing education builds on a firm foundation in the liberal arts and sciences. Graduates of the program use critical thinking, problem solving methods, and analytical reasoning to practice nursing at the baccalaureate and graduate levels.

At the baccalaureate level, graduates are prepared to: provide nursing care in diverse settings; share accountability for health with clients and other members of the health care team; utilize nursing research; and make independent and collaborative nursing decisions. The baccalaureate program prepares students for professional nursing practice and provides a foundation for graduate study.

Graduate nursing education at the master’s level includes scholarly inquiry into advanced preparation, practice, and provision of nursing service to society. Emphasis is on the acquisition and application of advanced knowledge of nursing and health care through collaborative practice in various settings. The education process builds upon baccalaureate nursing preparation and facilitates advanced professional role development, identification of researchable nursing issues, and the use of scholarly inquiry. The graduate program prepares nurses for advanced nursing roles and provides a foundation for doctoral study.

Lifelong learning and evaluation are mutual responsibilities of faculty and students. Lifelong learning is an integral part of professional activity, and is valued in the education process. Self-initiated activities related to enhancing the depth and breadth of nursing practice and further role development are characteristics of professional nurses.